A child, whose face is not seen, eats with a fork from a plate File Picture: Henk Kruger Independent Newspapers
Durban: As KwaZulu-Natal schools reopened on Wednesday, Education MEC Sipho Hlomuka reassured the public about the readiness of the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP).
Hlomuka addressed this issue on Tuesday during the announcement of the province's matric results, emphasising the department's commitment to the programme.
"Let me take this opportunity to assure the public of our province that we have put systems in place to ensure that the National School Nutrition Programme commences on Wednesday when schools open for the new academic year," he said.
Hlomuka also thanked service providers for their collaboration and acknowledged the challenges they face
"I also thank all our service providers who work closely with the schools and learners to provide services on our behalf. Last week, I held a meeting with the HOD and his team where we discussed some of the challenges in the space, including the allocation of norms and standards. We will continue to improve coordination between ourselves and the service providers to ensure efficiency in programmes like the School Nutrition Programme," he said.
However, Thabang Mncwabe, spokesperson for the NSNP association in KZN, said payments for December had not been made yet.
According to Mncwabe, the department made partial payments for November invoices in late December and January to service providers, while December invoices remain unpaid.
"It is misleading to announce that the department has fully paid service providers. The department paid a portion of November invoices without explanation on December 27, then paid partial of the November balance on Friday. December invoices still remain unpaid even after we wrote to the Premier seeking intervention," Mncwabe stated.
Mncwabe accused department officials of misleading the MEC and failing to engage service providers directly to resolve payment challenges.
"We believe that department officials are deliberately misleading the MEC to make false public pronouncements on the programme whilst failing to call service provider representatives and explain their challenges so they can be resolved collectively," he said.
Asked about whether the payment delay would affect school feeding schemes this week, he said: "It will depend on the service provider's financial status since they have not been paid fully," Mncwabe said, adding that service providers were advised to assist each other to prioritise learners.
The NSNP has previously encountered challenges.
In August 2023, service providers threatened to halt food deliveries due to delayed payments, affecting thousands of learners.
At that time, about 90% of service providers received outstanding payments, averting a crisis.
It has previously been reported that the NSNP, which provides meals for over 2.4 million children across 5 405 schools in KZN, serves as a lifeline for many learners, especially in rural areas where school meals are often their only source of nutrition.
The Department of Education did not respond on the issue of the December payments by the time of publication.